NATIONAL FIRE
PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA)
HIGH RISE BUILDING FIRES

SEPTEMBER 2001 REPORT BY JOHN R. HALL, JR.

In the high rise fire
experience report, Mr. Hall states:

“It is worth noting, in Table 1, that most high rise building fires and
associated losses occur in apartment buildings. This may seem surprising, but it
shouldn’t. Home dominate the U.S. fire problem so completely that it is always
a good bet that any newly examined fire problem, unless it is one that cannot
occur in homes, will have its largest share in homes.

One reason why we may not see the importance of homes in the high rise
building fire problem is the unwritten rules of news reporting. When a fire
occurs in a high rise office building, the fact that it is a high rise usually
is cited prominently, often more prominently than the fact that it was an
office building. For a high rise hotel or motel, the high rise reference is
still likely to be prominent. For a high rise apartment building or hospital,
however, the fact that it is a high rise will tend to be downplayed or omitted
altogether. Even if a tall building is a tall building, no matter what is going
on inside, when people think of a “towering inferno,” they typically think of
an office building, or maybe a hotel.”

*All five 2003
residential high rise fires were relatively low key and not dramatically
reported.

High-Rise Fire Safety

WITH

–OR–

WITHOUT?

RESIDENTIAL WITHOUT

COMMERCIAL WITHOUT

RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL

SPRINKLERS

SPRINKLERS

WITH SPRINKLERS

August 4, 1999

6007 N.
Sheridan

(2 killed)

January 19,
2002

3930 N. Pine Grove

(1 killed)

January 21,
2002

260 E. Chestnut

(8 Firefighters burned)

(1 killed)

June 27, 2003

South Beach Park Dr.

(1 killed)

October 2, 2003

6700 Oglesby

(1 killed)

October 29,
2003

7474 South Shore Drive

(1 killed)

May 16, 2006

Lincoln Park High-Rise

(1 injured)

October, 17,
2003

69 W. Washington

(6 Killed)

December 7, 2004

135
S. LaSalle

(37
injured)

April 4, 2002

1801 S. Michigan

VERSUS

NOTE:

NOTE:

Each of the above resulted
in fire deaths, smoke and burn injuries, property damage and displacement.
The last residents moved into 260 E. Chestnut during Fire Prevention Week of
October, 2003.

High-rise fire caused by a
candle falling into a bathroom wastebasket. A quick-response fire sprinkler
activated and extinguished the fire. No injuries, deaths, or firefighter
injuries.No tenant displace-ment or business interruption.

YOUR CHOICE

Infrastructure In Place In All High-Rise

The water supply fire pump and standpipe are ready to have
fire sprinkler cross mains and branch lines with sprinklers added to complete a
fire sprinkler system.